A plane crash leaves Chuck Noland, an ordinary FedEx systems engineer, stranded on a desolate island with just a few items of the consignment he was carrying. After the initial frustration, he decides to make every effort to stay alive and does so for four years, until the slim chance of returning to civilisation comes along. On a wooden raft with a sail that had been washed ashore, Chuck miraculously makes it back home, only to realise that four years is a long time to be away.